Kwikfit - Malc's right!!

[jberks]

Hi all,
I've been a bit confused by Malcolm's protestations that Kwikfit's online system is great value. For mine they weren't bad but couldn't get close to mytyres either. So, I put it down to his advancing years ... ;-)
Anyway - just on the offchance, I need a new set for the Landy (when will it ever end) so I gave it another go. Wow.
Bridgestone 235/65/17 ER30's. Mytyres £156, Kwikifit (if I buy 4) £110.84
So, Thanks Malc, you've saved me £200 - if we do meet up I owe you a pint

 

[television]

What you do here is to print off the online price quote and take that to you local kwikfit center, and they match that price.

Some guys kindly gave details of firms that were cheaper for any 2 of the tyres (staggered) but not for 4. the other problem was the fitting as is is a bit remote down here, and to have saved a few more £££ I would have to have taken the tyres and wheels and had them fitted, they would not all go into my V70.

I cannot say that I was impressed with the balancing, they did them OK and the car is shake free up to to 80 mph, the fastest that I have been with them.

What they do is, spin the wheels up, apply the weights and thats it no re check, good firms fit the weights and re spin to fine tune

 

[jberks]

What they do is, spin the wheels up, apply the weights and thats it no re check, good firms fit the weights and re spin to fine tune

Absolutely.
I'm a real bugger when it comes to rebalancing as the E's seem to be really touchy about it. Probably becuse they're so smooth normally, the slightest anomoly and you can feel it. I had mine fitted by a local firm as my trusted fitter couldn't get the tyres at a sensible price. I watched the guy spin them up, whack on a weight and start to undo the spindle. So I stopped him and made hin respin - lo and behold - it was still out. 4 attempts later and he still hadn't got it and worse still, was adding more and more weights.
In the end I told him to just leave it.
Took it to my trusted place who span up the first wheel with the weights still on before removing them and declared that they were actually better balanced without them. I watched the guy and he span it, popped on the weights, span them again and when, 2 of the 4 times, it wasn't right, lifted and moved the weight slightly. 3rd spin 0:0. Perfik.

I'm trying a new place on Saturday as mytyres don't deal with my trusted place. I'll be watching closely....

 

[Dosco]

215/55R16 Tyres

This is one of those silly problems that does not want to go away.

The two rear tyres keep loosing pressure from 32psi down to 20psi over a week or so. It has been checked over by two local tyre company's, one said I need two new tyres (despite having 6/7mm of tread on them) as they are 'porous' the other said it was the valves that were not sealing and replaced same. Still going down went back and then was told it is the rims that are at fault "alloys are well known for doing this sort of thing" I ask "what sort of thing" they reply "letting tyres down cos the rims are rotting"

Quick exit stage right.

So now I need to find a half decent tyre company that knows what they are on about, the company I purchased them have been deflated.

So what thoughts do 'you' have so that at least I am armed with some knowledge when I find this 'crock of rubberised technical gold'

 

[television]

Alloy wheels corrode where the tyre meets the rim, the tyre is removed and the rim sanded clean on the inner face, they then apply a sealer all around the rim and thats it job done, this works 99% of the time, and I had the same problem on my V70R just an age thing

 

[jberks]

This is one of those silly problems that does not want to go away.

The two rear tyres keep loosing pressure from 32psi down to 20psi over a week or so. It

So what thoughts do 'you' have so that at least I am armed with some knowledge when I find this 'crock of rubberised technical gold'

Dunno - but if you find out, tell me cos my front one drops 20psi in a week. I've had 2 expert fitters look it over and a wheel expert check the wheel. I've even swapped over tyres. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Bent wheel, cracked wheel (hairline in the alloy), alloy corrosion around the bead, alloy corrosion around the valve, leaky valve or the one that I suspect is my issue, air molecules leaking into a parallel dimension to replace the gravity leaking into ours. (Its not coming out anywhere else so as Holmes said .....)

 

[Myros]

semi tongue-in-cheek

but would a nitrogen fill help at all?

 

[television]

but would a nitrogen fill help at all?

That just flashed through my mind, but I do not know

 

[jberks]

but would a nitrogen fill help at all?

Didn't help me. (aside from the pretty green dust caps).

 

[Dosco]

but would a nitrogen fill help at all?

Nitrous Oxide would be my choice certainly give those in the parallel universe a laugh

Just been talking to guy who has advised that they use a type of sealant around the bead after cleaning and polishing the rim/bead then leaving it for an hour to 'cure' before lowering the weight of the car back on to the tyre.

So tomorrow I am going over to see if this will sort it out.

 

[television]

Nitrous Oxide would be my choice certainly give those in the parallel universe a laugh

Just been talking to guy who has advised that they use a type of sealant around the bead after cleaning and polishing the rim/bead then leaving it for an hour to 'cure' before lowering the weight of the car back on to the tyre.

So tomorrow I am going over to see if this will sort it out.

It will good for as long as you maintain a good pressure in the tyre, if you clout the kerb it can break the seal

 

[brandwooddixon]

KwikFit quoted me £398 for 2xMichelin Primacy HP 215/55W16.
Got them fitted for £265 in the end.

 

[Dosco]

Tyre Leaking Problem

sorted I hope.

It appears that one of the tyres was leaking from the side of valve stem due to slight corrosion on the inside of the rim where the valve sits. so some sealant + new valve cured it - well that is what I hope.

The other tyre leak causation was far simpler but virtually undetectable - a nail had gone through the tyre but not sticking all the way through so when the tyre was off the rim it had 'moved back' into the body of the tyre so could not be seen or indeed felt. It had broken off on the outside flush with the tyre so again it was near impossible to see, I certainly did not see it neither did the other tyre fitters. Every time the tyre met the road it opened up and some air escaped, so a puncture repair was all that was needed and all is well I hope!

 

[jberks]

sorted I hope.

It appears that one of the tyres was leaking from the side of valve stem due to slight corrosion on the inside of the rim where the valve sits. so some sealant + new valve cured it - well that is what I hope.

I hope thats the problem with mine too. Booked in 9am tomorrow for my shiny new set so hoping I can finally put an end to my woes. Thats if I don't get spotted by our blue lighted friends on the way home as the current rubber is a little thinner than I'm comfortable with. Thats the problem with wide tyres. They look fine from the outside (tired but still legal) but when I checked them more thoroughly (not something I tend to do as often in the cold and wet), the inside 1/4 on 2 of them is as smooth as my head. So lesson to all, check the full width of the tread!

 

[Dosco]

So lesson to all, check the full width of the tread!

Good point that. If I had been a little more diligent I may have caught sight of the nail before it buried itself in the rubber.

 

[HERBIEMERCMAN]

at my garage the ali wheel oxidation pitting as malcolm sited is well known on all cars over 5yrs old. the pitted area on the rim is wire brushed and then a non setting black rim seal is applied, we don,t have to wait for any curing as it's a non setting sealent, we have never had any back once this has been carried out. with reference to wheel balancing and as somone has allready said the mercs are very reliant on this, setting up the equipment for the various wheels is important, as well as regular callibration. finally the better the build quality of the tyre, the less weights are required. if you ever take your wheel back to have the rim sealed and the balance is good, asked them to mark your tyre with the rim. as the french say "nue viveon aeaprenon" , we live and we learn. herbiemercman.